


Snapshot of a Fallen Hero

by dsa_archivist



Category: due South
Genre: Drama, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-02-11
Updated: 2001-02-11
Packaged: 2018-11-11 01:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11138535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: Heroes come in all shapes and sizes.





	Snapshot of a Fallen Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

 

Title: Snapshot of a Fallen Hero

 

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    _Snapshot
    of a Fallen Hero_
    
    
     Benton Fraser stood numb while the
    veterinarian's words echoed
    
    
    in his head.
    
    
    "No other viable options," she said."If he were younger, I'd
    
    
    consider anesthetizing him and trying
    to put the joint back in
    
    
    place.But at his age, I
    can't even guarantee he'd survive the
    
    
    anesthesia."
    
    
    He'd known this day was coming eventually.A few years ago Dr.
    
    
    Wire had diagnosed Diefenbaker with
    hip dysplasia, a genetic
    
    
    malformation of the joint which, in this case manifested itself
    
    
    as a virtually non-existent socket
    for the ball joint to rest
    
    
    in.Though more common in
    dogs, it was not unheard of in
    
    
    wolves.The worst of the
    symptoms had been kept at bay by an
    
    
    aggressive course of Glucosamine and
    Chondroitin Sulfate,
    
    
    aspirin, and water exercise.And
    it was very likely that life
    
    
    would have continued on this course for a few more years had it
    
    
    not been for the incident this afternoon.
    
    
    Dief had given chase to a man running
    down the alleyway carrying
    
    
    a blanket wrapped bundle.The
    wolf always seemed to have a
    
    
    special place in his lupine heart for human children, especially
    
    
    those in distress.And this was no exception.He had heard the
    
    
    infant crying from across the very busy street and immediately
    
    
    took off after the man.Though his condition gave his gait the
    
    
    appearance of a rabbit hopping, he
    managed to soon overtake the
    
    
    man and stare him down, barking and growling in a menacing
    
    
    fashion.
    
    
    The man tossed the infant into a trash
    dumpster and ran back
    
    
    down the alley the way he had come.Dief knew that the Mountie
    
    
    and his police friends would be there waiting to arrest the man
    
    
    so he chose to stay and protect the
    infant.Uncaring of the
    
    
    instability of his hips, he gave a
    mighty leap to the lid of the
    
    
    dumpster but didn't make it and fell heavily to the ground.He
    
    
    shook his head and tried again but
    found that his legs just
    
    
    didn't want to move properly to get him standing again.And so
    
    
    he simply waited on the ground and tried to whine reassuringly
    
    
    to the infant he could not see.
    
    
    It was several long minutes later before
    Ben walked to the
    
    
    dumpster to see what was happening.Confused by Diefenbaker's
    
    
    posture, he first retrieved the infant from the trash receptacle
    
    
    and handed her to the social worker.Once on the ground again,
    
    
    he ran a hand along the wolf's flank
    and felt the joint that was
    
    
    out of place.He cringed,
    knowing what this likely meant.But
    
    
    when he tried to pick up his companion
    and carry him back to
    
    
    Ray's car, Dief whined in indignant protest.So instead he
    
    
    placed a gentle hand underneath the wolf and lifted him to his
    
    
    feet.
    
    
    Ben was even more concerned when he
    noticed that Diefenbaker's
    
    
    hind paws were now crossed, but as the wolf slowly started to
    
    
    walk, they straightened themselves
    out.He breathed a sigh of
    
    
    relief but knew that he needed to call
    Dr. Wire immediately. 
    
    
    And when they reached the street again where his two friends
    
    
    awaited him, he asked to borrow a cell
    phone.
    
    
    He was amazed that both Ray's actually
    argued over which one
    
    
    would accompany him to the veterinarian's office and which one
    
    
    would accompany the kidnapper to the
    police station.But since
    
    
    it was the Riviera that was at the
    scene, Vecchio prevailed with
    
    
    Kowalski asserting that he would follow-up with his friends as
    
    
    soon as he could.
    
    
    And now he stood in the examination
    room with a softly whining
    
    
    Diefenbaker and Dr. Wire.
    
    
    "Then I guess that's what we'll have
    to do.But could we have
    
    
    some time alone together before?"
    
    
    "Of course, I'll check back with you
    in a little while."
    
    
    She left and went to the waiting room
    and found Ray.Telling
    
    
    him what was going on, she was mildly
    surprised to see that he
    
    
    seemed as upset by the situation as Ben.She knew that they
    
    
    were good friends and had, in fact, provided transportation to
    
    
    her office for the pair.After a few moments of silence Ray
    
    
    excused himself and began to make some
    phone calls.
    
    
    In the room with Diefenbaker, Fraser
    recalled some of the
    
    
    moments they'd shared.From
    the time they'd met in the bear
    
    
    trap, to that fateful day on Prince Rupert Sound.The Mountie
    
    
    remembered Dief by his side, tracking the man who killed his
    
    
    father.He acknowledged that the wolf had adapted far more
    
    
    easily to the urban atmosphere of Chicago,
    scrounging food and
    
    
    begging for attention wherever he went.A smile crossed Ben's
    
    
    face as he recalled the one time that
    Dief hadn't been so happy
    
    
    with the attention and was forced to wear a tam 'o shanter.
    
    
    They'd been friends a long time and
    shared many eventful moments
    
    
    together.They'd watched
    as the pups Diefenbaker had fathered
    
    
    were whelped.They were together the day that Ben arrested the
    
    
    man that had murdered his mother.They had even stood side by
    
    
    side and watched Francesca Vecchio
    marry Ray Kowalski.Yes, it
    
    
    had been a long time since that bear
    trap but Ben still wasn't
    
    
    quite ready to let go.He
    tried to remember a phrase from a
    
    
    book that Elaine had loaned him last year.
    
    
    A gentle knock on the door interrupted
    his musings.
    
    
    "Yes?" he responded.
    
    
    Dr. Wire stuck her head in the door
    and he motioned for her to
    
    
    enter the room.He could
    tell she was carrying a syringe and
    
    
    nodded at her. 
    
    
    "This is sodium Phenobarbital.It's the same stuff they gave
    
    
    you when you had your back surgery.I'll administer it in an IV
    
    
    injection.It will sedate him and eventually cause his heart to
    
    
    stop.Now, his tail may wag or he may exhibit a minor muscular
    
    
    spasm.It's completely normal. I'd like you to wrap your left
    
    
    arm around his chest and bring your
    right arm over his back in a
    
    
    nice tight hug.Are you
    ready?"
    
    
    "Can you give us just another moment
    please?"
    
    
    "Certainly, take all the time you like."
    
    
    Ben held the wolf close to his chest
    and spoke softly in his ear
    
    
    knowing he couldn't hear the words but certain he could
    
    
    understand the emotions."Don't be dismayed at good-byes.A
    
    
    farewell is necessary before you can meet again.And meeting
    
    
    again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are
    
    
    friends," he quoted."I'll see you around, my friend."
    
    
    Dief whined softly and licked the face
    of the man he'd come to
    
    
    know as companion and pack leader.The Mountie nodded at Dr.
    
    
    Wire and looked away as she applied the tourniquet.Deftly, she
    
    
    administered the injection and Ben felt the wolf relax.He
    
    
    cradled his friend in his arms and allowed him to sink down to
    
    
    the table.
    
    
    Sandra put her hand on Ben's arm."He's a very special animal."
    
    
    "He saved my life, you know."
    
    
    "Prince Rupert Sound," she acknowledged.
    
    
    "Among other times.Even in my darkest hours, when I thought
    
    
    there was no reason to live, he was
    a living reminder that there
    
    
    was."
    
    
    "Yes, they have a way of doing that."
    
    
    Ben kept his hand on Dief's chest,
    feeling the heartbeat slow to
    
    
    nothingness.One last sigh
    escaped his muzzle and he was gone. 
    
    
    Sandra wrapped her arms around her
    friend in comfort but
    
    
    wondered, perhaps, if he weren't trying to comfort her as well.
    
    
    
    For
    several minutes they held each other until Ben finally
    
    
    straightened up.
    
    
    "You'll take care of the cremation"
    
    
    "Tonight.I'll call you tomorrow and make arrangements to pick
    
    
    up the ashes.Do you have a container?"
    
    
    "Yes, Ray's sister, Francesca, took
    a pottery class last year
    
    
    and I seem to have been her sole beneficiary."
    
    
    "How nice."
    
    
    "There's a jar that will be a perfect
    container for the trip
    
    
    north."
    
    
    "North?"
    
    
    "Back to Prince Rupert Sound.It seems to be a good spot."
    
    
    "It is."
    
    
    He left the examination room with his
    Stetson in his hands. 
    
    
    Ray, Francesca and Mrs. Vecchio were all waiting for him, as was
    
    
    Kowalski.
    
    
    "Benny?You okay?" Ray asked seeing the tear stained cheeks of
    
    
    his friend.
    
    
    "Yes, Ray," he lied.
    
    
    Francesca handed him a small box and
    when he opened it, he found
    
    
    a stained glass sun catcher in the shape of a tiger swallowtail
    
    
    and a piece of paper with a note.
    
    
    'What the caterpillar calls the end
    of the universe, the master
    
    
    calls a butterfly.'
    
    
    The End
    
    
    In memory of my beloved friend and
    faithful Labrador Retriever
    
    
    companion, Top Gun's Maverick's Mistress; Can/Am CDX,CGC,WC,TD.
    
    
    
    10/4/86--9/28/2000I'll see you around, Mavi.

 


End file.
